video transcript

ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) Tens of thousands of visitors hoping to sample the breathtaking views of Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower were left stranded on the ground on Tuesday (June 25) following a strike by staff at the world's most-visited monument, over delays to maintenance and working conditions. Visitors who had hoped to ride the series of elevators to gaze down on the rooftops of Paris from 324 metres above ground were greeted with bland messages saying the legendary monument was closed by industrial action, ruining what for some had been the dream of a lifetime. "It's disappointing coming here and spending this much money to come here and you can't come to the one landmark that people probably come here to see most," said American tourist Jamie McNulty. Others just viewed it as quintessentially French. "It's just the ultimate stereotype of France really. I think of all the things to be on strike the Eiffel Tower is the most iconic thing that could be on strike so it just represents France in itself so I find it quite funny. We didn't want to go up anyway so this is good," added Kathrine Markowski, another U.S. tourist who would have been among the 30,000 people who ride to the top every day during the peak summer period. But the workers who forced the closure said they were also defending visitors' interests. Up to seven million people visit the Eiffel Tower every year, according to the monument's website.